Child Support Maryland

Determination of Child Support Payments

The state of Maryland created a legal formula for calculating the child support obligation of a parent. The first step is determining the total of the gross incomes of the parents. Parental gross earnings include salaries and wages, revenue from investments and businesses, unemployment benefits, Social Security benefits, and disability benefits.

Maryland law has a very wide perception of what composes an income, basically funds from any sources excluding gifts. The grand total of incomes is used for determining the total amount of Maryland child support necessary to sustain the child according to the guidelines established by the state of Maryland.

The percentage of gross incomes’ grand total contributed by each of the parents is also calculated. The party responsible for making child support payments pays an equal percentage of the support total stipulated in the state’s guidelines. For only illustrative purposes, presume a couple making a grand total of $80,000 in a child support income gets a combined support obligation of $800 per month for only one child.

Assume that the parent owing financial support to the child brings in seventy percent of this income. Such parent will be required to pay seventy percent of the total obligation ($800) in Maryland child support.